The information contained in this chapter presents a picture of the labour market in Australia. Unlike other statistics that have a particular economic or social focus, labour statistics cut across both dimensions, and in so doing they provide useful insights into economic and community life in Australia.

This chapter provides a broad overview of the Australian labour market. It briefly describes key labour statistics concepts and measures (e.g. employment, unemployment, job vacancies, earnings, industrial disputes); highlights the main features of the Australian labour market in 2003-04; examines developments in the Australian labour market over the medium- and long-term; and presents more detailed analysis of a number of issues impacting on the Australian labour market.

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